Patience is a virtue Green Day can use

A profanity-laced public meltdown on stage is a weird way to promote a new album, especially when the meltdown is more interesting than anything on the album itself.

But Green Day’s frontman Billie Joe Armstrong did that just four days before the release of “Â¡Uno!,” at the iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas, after being told (via a video monitor) that the band had “1 minute” to wrap up their set.

Not only did he show “what one (expletive) minute (expletive) means,” Armstrong smashed his guitar, flashed “the bird” and ripped into “(expletive)” Justin Bieber.

Justin Bieber? That’s like Mitt Romney attacking Big Bird. In addition to Bieber and Big Bird both being Muppets (It’s amazing the breakthroughs that Canada has done with Muppet-human hybrids these days), they are both harmless and beloved by young whippersnappers still wearing rubber pants.

Armstrong (who, subsequently, sought treatment for “substance abuse” for his onstage antics; which is no laughing matter) was unglued, unpredictable, in-your-face and even a little bit dangerous, all qualities that are sadly lacking on “Â¡Uno!,” the first of three Green Day albums to come in the next four months (“Â¡Dos!” and “Â¡Tré!” will follow on Nov. 13 and Jan. 15, respectively). While “substance abuse” might have been a contributing factor for Armstrong’s unscripted temper tantrum, most likely, the real culprit is the fact that Armstrong has painted himself and his band into a corner.

After Green Day took critics and diehard fans off guard with the Grammy winning, 12-times-platinum, chart-topping, rock opera “American Idiot” (and the subsequent Broadway stage play), there was no place to go except down. While Green Day (which also includes bassist Mike Dirnt, drummer Tre Cool: the band’s touring guitarist Jason White is also along for the ride) still sound like the same bratty punks with impeccable pop smarts that broke out on the music scene with 1994’s commercial breakthrough “Dookie,” the new album has a sense of been there, done that and been done better.

Revolting against growing up in a dysfunctional household while singing about the joys of unsafe carnival rides, Armstrong envisions himself as a walking time bomb that’s about to explode on the instantly hummable and reliable leadoff track, “Nuclear Family.” The problem is he never does. While the song will get the juices flowing and the adrenaline pumping with the band’s signature mix of roaring guitar chords, locomotive bass lines and crashing drum beats, the punk bravado and buzzwords sound calculated and forced.

While he promises nothing more than giving you acid reflux and a burning rash, Armstrong is perfectly cast as the rough-around-the-edges, low-rent Romeo who makes a last-ditch effort for the girl that got away (or possibly one he never actually had a chance of getting) on the scruffy, romantic rocker, “Stay the Night.” Despite being two minutes longer than it has to be, “Stay the Night” is an exuberant burst of enthusiasm and energy that will win over your heart.

On the infectious, mosh-pit friendly “Let Yourself Go,” Armstrong snaps at some unnamed individual for complaining too much. Unless he’s talking to a reflection in a mirror, that’s like calling the kettle black. Then again, the listener can easily overlook that aforementioned fact after hearing Armstrong’s irresistible, F-word-laden tirade and pogoing to the accompanied crunchy guitar and pummeling drum onslaught.

Today’s techno music has taken its toll on one troubled club-goer on the album’s most interesting track, “Kill the DJ.” Starting off with a menacing stomp, stomp, stomp, the song kicks into a funky dance groove that proves that Green Day can play more than punk rave-ups (and have been listening to Franz Ferdinand records to boot). Although I don’t advocate violence, I can relate to the song’s psychotic sentiment.

The pristine, power-pop opus “Fell For You” sounds like a lost Cheap Trick song (and that’s a good thing) with its soaring vocals, glorious sounding guitars and full-bodied drums.

Armstrong proved a long time ago that he’s a master of honest-to-goodness and tongue-in-cheek, romantic balladry (case in point, “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” and “Wake Me Up When September Ends”). And, he is at it again on “Sweet 16.” Reminiscing about sleeping with a high school sweetheart on a cardboard mattress, Armstrong is warm and sensitive without being sudsy and overly sentimental. Even the jangly guitar groove sounds warm and sensitive.

On the ready-made drinking song, “Rusty Jones,” Armstrong visits his old stomping grounds only to find that his gang doesn’t hang out there any more. Raising his ale glass and toasting his absentee hooligan friends, Armstrong is a hoot, playing a combination barstool philosopher, neighborhood historian and rabble-rouser who refuses to give in to maturity, matrimony or middle-age quite yet.

The album’s first single and final track, “Oh Love,” starts off with heart-heavy Armstrong pouring his guts out while strumming his jangly guitar. Armstrong pleads, “Oh love. Oh, love/Won’t you rain on me tonight/Oh life, Oh life/Please don’t pass me by,” before the track kicks into a full-throttle, lovelorn anthem. Despite the rudimentary "Love Reign O’er Me" reference (that comes off as an affectionate nod to the Who rather than a blatant rip-off), Armstrong sounds his most sensitive and unguarded here, as he pleads to a would-be lover to “waste away tonight.”

If only more of the songs were as genuine. Then we would make the time to listen to Armstrong whine.

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